Drop It
by Setz
Summary: KagaKuro fan fic. After leaving Japan for three years, Kagami suddenly returns. However, he discovers that his former teammate that used to be so expressionless (and still is, just in a new way) have changed; foul language is only one of the many bad habits he has developed. Rated for slight violence (friendly punches lol), very mild adult themes, foul language and you name it.


**Author's note; Hello, people, robots, whatever. This is the first real fan fic I've ever written, ahahhaah;; The idea is based on a kind of theme I could say, that Lily-Draws on Deviant Art came up with. I 'adopted' the project and wrote the fan fic for her, just because I've always wanted to make a KagaKuro one. This took way too long to finish.**

**My deepest thanks to my husbando for the last minute proof reading; I needed it badly.**

**I hope you'll enjoy.**

_"Kuroko... I'm leaving."_

_A moment of silence passed; the clock went tick tock, tick tock, but it felt like his heart had stopped. What was he supposed to say? For how many weeks had he suspected that he'd have to hear those words? He couldn't utter anything, everything he wanted to say got stuck in his throat, as if the other had stolen his ability to speak. He just stood there, looking up at the face of his friend; neither of them averted their eyes. It was raining, the only thing keeping them both dry was the umbrella in the taller boy's hand - a shield. Why couldn't he have an umbrella protecting him from horrible things as well? Was the sky crying because it was pitying him? It was just like the others had said; sooner or later..._

_He'll leave you._

_Kuroko fixated his eyes at the ground, another moment went by, then he looked up;_

_"I see."_

_He couldn't find something suitable to say - all he wanted to do was reach out, grab Kagami's sleeve and tell him 'don't leave, please don't leave'. But it was if his mind had deleted any actions like that, causing him to stand there, as expressionless as ever. His rather monochrome voice didn't even contain single hint of the panic that caused a mess inside of him; what happened to making it to the top together? Now all of their dreams were falling down, and it wasn't even because someone stronger had pushed them over the edge. Kuroko watched him leave - his hands were shaking, he noticed as he raised them; his fingertips found his cheeks. They were wet, but he couldn't even tell if it was because of the rain or not._

_For the second time in his life he was all alone; a shadow without a light._

_Abandoned, once again._

- THREE YEARS LATER -

**(Kagami)**

It was sunny; what a surprise. The sound of people walking, chatting, cars - it felt more quiet than back in the States. Or maybe it wasn't - the countries just had a totally different atmosphere when you compared them. Kagami continued picking out the groceries on his list, caught up in his own bubble; a large number of the people stared at him, considering the fact that he was a lot taller than most of them it wasn't very surprising at all. He'd almost forgotten how it felt, since it didn't feel as if he was as tall in America as here.

"Come on, no need to stare," he muttered to himself; when he was about to turn around, he saw a familiar face. He raised his hand, a grin appearing on his lips as he called her; "Oi! Coach!"

She wasn't his coach anymore, of course; when he'd left the team to move back to America, he'd been about to turn seventeen. It was somewhere around the end of July and even if he hadn't really told anyone about it, it had grown quite obvious. He'd lacked concentration, and after a while Teppei had confronted him about it - Kuroko was the last one to hear it.

She turned around, a smile crossing her lips as she waved back; starting to make her way towards the younger male.

"Kagami! How have you been? Why didn't you tell us you were coming back?" She hadn't grown a bit; he'd expected at least some change, after all three years could be seen as a rather long time.

"Just good~ I didn't find out myself until just a couple of weeks back, so I figured I'd just come and say hello to all of you when I got back. I see you're still as flat as always, coa-" He was cut off by Riko, landing a punch on his arm - as scary as he remembered her, he thought to himself.

"Shut up, I'm not flat." She said, glaring at him during a second before her smile came back.

"So, how are you doing on your own? I suppose you've moved out? Have you managed to survive on your home cooked meals?" He asked, ignoring her glare. Riko made a proud face, nodding with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Of course! My meals taste just fine, just ask Hyuuga." She answered him, her arms still crossed.

"Hyuuga? So you've been cooking meals for him?"

They kept each other company, talking about the team and how it was now that they had all finished school; towards the end, though, he noticed that Riko had barely mentioned Kuroko. All she had said was "He bought an apartment; I think he has a job somewhere too" before quickly changing the topic. When they were about to leave the store, he decided to at least find out where his former team mate currently lived; who knew how long it would be before he met someone else who could tell him?

"Coach, do you know Kuroko's address? I wanna stop by on the way home." At the sound of his question, she averted her eyes; pretending to look for something in the bag with groceries she had in her hand.

"Yeah, I do... But, Kagami, Kuroko is... He's..." She seemed to struggle with finding a good way to explain; was he sick? Lying in the hospital? She must've noticed a glimpse of worry in his eyes, because she replied.

"He's... Different."

After wandering around for a while, he'd managed to find the apartment Riko had told him that Kuroko was living in; he knocked on the door, putting down the two bags from the grocery store next to him. It took a few minutes before the sound of footsteps could be heard - then the door opened. Kagami had to - as always - look down in order to see the other's face. He opened his mouth, ready to say 'I'm sorry, I must've gone to the wrong apartment'. Nevertheless, before he had time to even do that, the boy spoke.

"Tch, the hell, and here I was finally about to fall asleep," he muttered drowsily. Kagami was at loss for words - there really was no way that this could be his former team mate.

Kuroko's hair, that had used to be as blue as the sky, was colored black; pointing in all directions, it looked almost like a black bird's. It took a few moments before the shorter male looked up.

If not for the eyes, Kagami would have never been able to tell it was him; those blue orbs staring right back at him, the boy's annoyance and lack of sleep reflected in them. Those eyes...

He finally understood what Riko had meant by 'different'.

There was a look of shock on Kuroko's face; or well, almost. It seemed like the shorter male still wasn't very good at showing his emotions. Kagami reached out - he wasn't exactly sure why, maybe to shake his friends hand?

"Kuroko? It's nice to see you aga-" He was stopped by the sound of the door closing. A minute passed, he was still holding out his hand, before he realized what had happened. Had Kuroko just shut the door? What the hell? Had he not recognized him? Still, that wasn't something the other would have done, right? And it was nearly impossible not to see that it was him. Not many people with tall hair and multicolored hair as well as a pair of... Unusual eyebrows, existed.

He knocked once again, calling Kuroko's name. One time, two times, three times, four times.

There was no reply.

He was just confused, that was probably it - tired, shocked.

He could always come back tomorrow.

For the rest of that day, Kuroko's action bugged Kagami like there was no tomorrow; even though he'd told himself that there was nothing about it that he should be bothered about. Sitting alone in the empty apartment, the only thing that kept him company was the silence and the ticking of the clock placed on the wall - his thoughts immediately began to wander, craving his attention.

"What the fuck, Kuroko."

Yeah; it didn't make sense at all.

His confusion had resurfaced before he'd even had the chance to ignore it. As former teammates, this kind of behaviour was weird - and not like the Kuroko he knew at all.

_**(Kuroko)**_

_Why had he decided to come back?_

His hues were fixated at the horizon, bitter thoughts keeping him occupied from everything else; it was always like that nowadays. Thinking, remembering - a circle that just kept spinning and refused to stop, and he hated it.

He hated all of it.

The fact that he could still remember the feeling when Kagami's fist met his, the pride that flashed in their eyes as they won a game.

The bright smile that belonged to the person who had once been his light.

That he was unable to move on.

He could tell himself whatever, that they were nothing but fragments of his past - but he knew very well that what he told himself was lies.

But why stop lying to himself? He was good at it.

_Don't return now, just go back._

_Why even bother to visit me?_

_I'm perfectly fine, you're just going to screw it all up again._

_Leave me, again._

_Isn't that right?_

_(**Kagami)**_

Kuroko didn't open the door the next day, and to be honest Kagami wasn't even sure if he was actually home. He let a few days pass, hoping that if he came by later then he'd open the door and be greeted by an almost-smile, an explanation along the lines of 'I've been away so my friend took care of the house for me.'

He didn't have to wait that long though, but he wished he had.

**(Kuroko)**

"Damn it."

The boy was sitting on one of the many benches placed in the park, surrounded by the sound of ongoing conversations.

The two words that he uttered were barely enough to convey that feeling of annoyance that had surfaced because of the memory of his teammate; both from back then and that short meeting just a few days ago. What was the point? A question he repeated in a bitter tone to himself, over and over until it got stuck in his head and consumed his thoughts.

He really didn't get it, and that bothered him to the core.

Why leave, just to come back? Wasn't it a better choice to just stay in America and do whatever?

Was it because he found it amusing to leave one to break- no, he wasn't broken. He was no toy, he was just another fragile human being. He wasn't a 'lost case' either. He'd managed to build this shell, this armor; there was no need for his... Delicate self to ever come back out. He was perfectly fine like this. No one that could disturb him from escaping, as long as he stayed away from the type of people that tried to reach deeper, _understand him_. He wasn't very fond of calling it escaping, he wasn't running from anything - merely protecting whatever feelings still lingered in his heart.

Everything was a nice shade of monochrome; the taste of the cigarettes he smoked, the people around him with their oh-so-genuine yet fake smiles and words. The same, no matter what. It was safe - knowing what he would think and do every day, not acting recklessly...

Or well, that depended on whether you counted certain things as 'reckless'.

He didn't have any contact with _them_ either, most likely because he had made zero attempts to talk to them - he might as well just start over. Press the delete button, find a new blank paper to stain with the text that described his life.

"Oy, Kuroko!"

Fuck, he knew that voice. Fumbling with the cigarette placed in his hand, he ended up dropping it; he crushed it underneath his shoe. The boy with the ebony locks looked up, and all he really wanted to do was walk away - push that person he'd carried in his heart away even further from himself than he already was and forget. But he wasn't running away, right?

"What?" His words had an edge of that cold tone he was so used to talking with now, making it sound like he was more bugged about having to reply than he really was.

"Why the hell did you close your door yesterday? I came by to say hi." Oh, he wasn't happy about it. Obviously, no one liked having a door shut in front of their face. As Kagami spoke, Kuroko rested his blue hues upon the other's face.

"I know." He answered as he reached down to let the package of cigarette slip back into the left pocket on his black jeans.

"Then why did you-" Confusion stained the taller male, both his face and the way he acted.

"I didn't want to see you is all." Not hear whatever it is you want to say. Kuroko cut him off, a few seconds of silence passing them by - their gazes locked.

"You... What? Why not? I've been away for three years and you-" _Are you kidding me_, was the thought that played in the back of the youth's head when he heard the other's... well it couldn't really be counted as a question. _I told you exactly why, don't tell me you can't fucking understand Japanese anymore._

Once again, the the shorter one of the two didn't let the other finish speaking.

"Three years. Do you know how much time that is when you spend it waiting? All of a sudden, telling me just a few days before. What kind of friend does something shitty like that? I don't need you, so please leave me alone from now on." Kuroko was more comfortable with his words now - but as straightforward as ever, putting his feeling on display that way. It wasn't a question, not a 'can you leave?' It was just all of that coldness taken and pressed together to form what he viewed as the truth. "Don't talk to me again."

He brought the cigarette to his lips, his optics focused on the people passing them by - some threw curious looks in Kagami's direction, because of how tall he was. As usual, no one noticed him; it was nice, being able to vanish as if he was a ghost.

A shadow.

He got up on his feet, this time determined to leave; he turned to his right, walking away and leaving Kagami behind. He seemed to be at loss for words - good.

For him, there was no doubt about it; Kuroko had changed. Not only when it came to his looks, it was as if his whole personality had become more... Tough? As if he was a treasure chest protecting something precious. A single thought flashed through his mind; is it my fault?

Just as the boy was about to get swallowed up by the crowd of people Kagami reached out, his hand finding the other's shoulder.

"Don't just leave like that! I'm talking to you!" He wouldn't let the other just go without them having cleared up whatever trouble Kuroko was having with him.

The dark haired male shrugged off his hand.

"I already said to get the hell away from me, Touch me again, and I'll punch you."

This time, Kagami listened.

**(Kagami)**

Kagami looked down at the screen of his cell phone; an unfamiliar number showed, but he knew that name. He leaned against the wall, the phone next to his ear.

"Kagamicchi~! I heard you're back in town! Say, have you-"

"I'd like you to do me a favor..._ Please_."

**(Kuroko)**

The day after that, Kuroko got a call from Kise; the first one in over half a year.

After an hour of attempts from the blond's side, he managed to make the other agree to a meeting. Unwilling, he arrived only to find himself caught in some kind of plan to make him talk to Kagami. What the hell were they, kids? He wasn't interested, and half an hour into the conversation he decided he was just wasting his time. It had been a mistake to come.

_Why didn't they understand?_

Unable to express his anger properly, Kuroko moved his hand forward; his slender digits wrapping themselves around Kise's tie. He didn't say anything, but both of his hands were shaking - the other's golden orbs fixated on his friend's face (could they still be called that? Kuroko wasn't sure), upset as well.

"Kagamicchi truly cares about you! Stop being childish, what's with you recently? There's no point to acting like this-ssu! Isn't this what you've wanted to happen all along? If you really wanted to forget, then you would've moved! But you're still here, and you know you've been waiting for him all this time!" Kise was a different type of speaker; something with him made the shorter one hesitate, just for a moment, pondering whether if the other maybe was right...

No, he most definitely wasn't. He _had not_ been waiting for _anybody_. Although, wasn't that what he had said earlier?

_'Do you know how much time that is when you spend it waiting?'_

"Shut up!" He leaned over the table, still holding on to the other's tie; his usual expressionless face suddenly reflected all the feelings the other's words had stirred up inside of his heart. "I didn't, I didn't! Don't say his name, I don't want to hear it!" It wasn't until that moment that Kuroko realized why the other thought he was acting _childish_; he was speaking as if he'd lost quite a few years of his age. "Tch." At this point, his voice was slightly quavering - a small detail that most people would have easily missed. He stopped himself, unwilling to give the other even more reasons to view him as someone denying oneself. Because in the end, that's what he was doing.

Nevertheless, he simply refused to face it. He didn't want to, they was a pain to deal with; feelings like these.

"Kurokocchi is the one that needs to stop!"

Kuroko let go of the other male's tie, rising to his feet in order to storm out. Strangers were looking; shocked, confused, because what kind of people fought so openly?

Kise hadn't been able to catch the other's arm - his hand found nothing but empty air, and he sank back into the chair. He had been left there, with that feeling of failure that stung his eyes and heart and surely it would haunt him until he could finally see a smile on his friend's lips again.

How long had it been, since the other one sounded truly happy?  
Too long, too long.

"It's a little..." He started, nothing but a mumble to himself. His face was turned down, eyes hidden behind sunshine bangs; he fixed his tied, just to distract himself. "Frustrating." No one noticed the tear that crossed his cheek.

He didn't think about where he had to go; his body brought him to the place he least wanted to be at. Or maybe it wasn't.

He was no longer sure; all these emotions at once was too much for him, leaving the boy with something that could be compared to chaos going on deep inside of himself.

There was nobody else at the basketball court - he'd practiced here a lot before, until the sun's shift was over and the moon once more guarded the sky.

"I'm calm." A whisper that quickly shattered by the hand of the sound of pouring rain.

_Great._

His ink colored jacket was already soaked, the cold from the raindrops slipping through the fabric and his skin all the way down to his soul.

"I'm ca-..." He found himself fumbling with the words, as if they weren't right. "Cold. I'm cold."

So very, very cold.

He took of his jacket, dropping it on the ground - his chin turned up so he could face the sky.

He was such a hypocrite; complaining about how others didn't listen to him when he didn't care about what anyone else said either.

"Kagami-kun..." His hand swept across his face, through his hair and back to his face again; resting over his eyes as if he could flee it all even if it was just for a little while. "You're an idio-"

All of a sudden, somebody was tousling his black locks; he opened his eyes again, lowering his arm. This day just kept getting worse, as if it was some kind of joke and everyone except for him seemed to be entertained by it - even the weather was against him!

"Oy, I'm no idiot. Since when did you get so foul-mouthed? You're swearing so much, all of a sudden." Kagami's eyes were focused on his face, and what surprised Kuroko the most (next to the fact that he had popped up from out of nowhere) was that he didn't seem mad. Wasn't it a given that someone would be angry if someone told another to leave them alone? Especially without giving a proper reason why? Kuroko directed his attention towards the other, together with a question.

"How did you know I was here? Have you turned into a stalker, _Bakagami_?"

The taller male didn't seem too happy about hearing the other call him that. Still, the fact that he let a... Well, joke, like that slip out had to be proof of him opening up, little by little.

"Kuroko _teme_, don't call me that!" He snapped back, pressing down on the boy's head with his hand. "I'm not a stalker, I'm here to cheer you up." Kagami's hand moved from Kuroko's hair down to his shoulder.

"I don't need to be cheered up," was the reply he got before the other added, "especially not by you."

"Stop saying things like that, ouch-!"

Kuroko had let his fist meet the taller one's stomach after spinning around, which took Kagami by surprise. _What was with him?_ The black haired boy muttered to himself in his mind. _Had he always been this persistent?_

"What the hell, Kuroko!" Kuroko was pulled back to reality by the sound of the other's voice again.

"I said I'd punch you if you touched me again, and you did," he explained, brushing the other male's hand away from his shoulder.

"Do you feel better now?" Kagami asked, leaning forward in order to try and let their eyes meet once more; the shorter one averted his gaze in order to not do so.

"I wasn't feeling bad to begin with." He said back, keeping up the whole pointless 'I really don't need you' act.

"Stop lying."

"I'm_ not_ lying! Is it that hard to just leave me be?" He gave up on trying to look away, staring straight up at his former teammate's face; something flickered behind those blue hues of him.

Revealing a crack in the armor.

Kisses in the rain weren't as romantic as movies made them out to be; it was just a quick meeting of two pairs of lips, silence making its way into the seconds after it. The silence was hindered by a single sentence voiced by Kagami.

"You taste like cigarettes."

The boy's cheeks were dusted by an intense shade of pink; the pads of his fingers brushed against his mouth. _What the..._

He clenched his teeth, not slow to throw the other's words right back at him – with a twist to suit his own taste of course.

"And you taste like lies."

He could see that the comment really hit the other, because for a moment a shadow of sadness crossed the taller male's face; he regretted saying those words, but he wasn't strong enough to take them back.

A soft chuckle escaped Kagami, as if he suddenly was entertained by the whole messed up scene; he'd just kissed the boy in front of him, who most likely still disliked him.

"Then tell me, when did I lie to you?" he asked.

Kuroko let his left hand rest on the upper part of his right arm, avoiding the other's gaze again; he dragged out the memory from more than three years ago.

A warm memory, something worth remembering - every now and then, he found himself drowning in it.

"That time, half a year before you left..."

A spark lit up Kagami's eyes, both of them remembering; a precious part of their past.

"When you promised to stay by my side."

_It had been one of those quiet afternoons during a Saturday, the friends enjoying their day off. No practice with the team, no school - it was a nice change._

_Kagami had his head placed in the blue haired boy's lap, almost completely asleep. However, when Kuroko spoke he was immediately called back from the entrance to the world of dreams._

_"Say, Kagami-kun, you'll stay with me... Won't you?" The boy's fingers played with the other's multi colored hair - red mixed with black - and every now and then they brushed against his face._

_The other grinned right up at him; one of those bright smiles that always made Kuroko feel as if he was looking only at him._

_"I'm not going anywhere! After all, we're going to beat them all together - isn't that right?" He answered, as positive as ever._

_A rare smile appeared on Kuroko's lips._

_"Yes."_

"I did say that..."

Back to the present, Kagami once again disturbed the silence.

"So what, you mean it meant nothing, that I've been hoping all this time for nothing?" When Kuroko spoke, it was louder than from the moment they'd met again up until that point.

He left again, and Kagami failed to catch him in time; he was out of his grasp.

Kagami looked down, a pool of water mocking him with the reflection of his face - he wiped the raindrops off his face.

"I can't just let it go on like this. It's been two weeks."

Perhaps this was one of those 'now or never moments.'

"Maybe I really am a stalker."

When he arrived for the second time outside of Kuroko's apartment, he knocked; just like last time, only that now he knew that the other probably wouldn't open the door.

He didn't walk away, so instead of going back home he sank down on the floor next to the door; closing his eyes in order to shut out everything else. The negative part about it was that he was left completely in the hands of his thoughts; they attacked him, fighting for his attention. A swirl of confusing emotions that he hadn't realized he carried in his heart until that point.

He wasn't sure of how much time had passed, but after a while the door opened; the sound of footsteps and the feeling of someone pulling at his jacket woke him up.

His back and neck were hurting from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position;

"Hmm...?"

He looked up, staring straight at the familiar face that belonged to the one he'd earlier fought with. "Get up, you'll catch a cold."

It was an order, and Kagami got up - pulled inside the apartment, greeted by a well cleaned hall.

"Kuroko..."

Something about the way the other said his name made the dark haired boy's hands start shaking, as if it was a spell cast that made his body react in ways he didn't want it to; his heart beating so loud it sucked up all other noises.

The taller one's arms found their way around Kuroko's waist, pulling him close even though he struggled to get free; the other's warm breaths collided with his neck.

And he fell, crashed; a splattering of colors, them being all of those feelings he'd bottled up. He cried, something he had convinced himself he shouldn't do; it was nothing but a shout for help.

The teardrops were caught by the flutter of another's lips; caressing, so gentle that Kuroko was scared of clinging to that sweetness. Because, surely, he'd just lose it again.

"What do I have to do to make you forgive me?" Kagami's voice was heard as the light kisses ended.

It wasn't that easy to answer, for a breaking boy; clumsy with everything, so many things to say yet nothing managed to slip out. Holding on, hands tightly grasping at the fabric of wet layers of clothes; black hair sticking to skin as if it was glued to it.

"You've changed so much... I'm sorry." Another whisper from the taller one.

Kagami buried his face against the crook of Kuroko's neck; still holding the other against his body. Suddenly, the other's fingers found his wet hair; just like before, entwining themselves in his soft locks.

Kuroko didn't answer him - but that action was enough for Kagami to find that last bit of courage to apologize. Because he owed the boy that; and so much more, for leaving.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I should've told you earlier... I'm sorry I wasn't by your side, even though I promised you that. I'm sorry for not contacting you. I'm sorry for acting like this. I'm sorry for being selfish, but I- I... I just. All I want, it's so hard to describe; fuck, all I say sounds so stupid. Kuroko _teme_, you do nothing but mess me up."

Mouths crashed together again, leaving no time for fancy replies, but there wasn't really any need for that. They found all that they needed in a single sentence slipped out underneath heavy breaths, uttered by the black haired boy.

"If you leave this time, I won't forgive you."

Kagami wasn't completely forgiven yet - nevertheless, neither of them cared about it at that moment. A longing had lit up their hearts, burning in unison; a different kind of feeling from before. A want that had been covered by other feelings, finally allowed to burn strong as they cast everything else aside.

"I won't."

A promise as evening turned to night, night to dawn; the words were embedded in the sunrise and the colors of the sky.

Eager hands wandering across untouched bodies, marks blossoming as well - entangled in each other. For the first time in three years, they smiled together; a genuine sign of happiness.

Unexpected, and at first unwanted.

Hungry eyes seeing nothing but each other, barely audible whispers escaping open mouths as they got closer. It was so obvious, that they were supposed to be like this; no matter how much time passed, that was the answer.

Kisses against Kuroko's forehead, a constant chant of 'I'm sorry's echoed next to his ear.

The tears faded away, burnt away by the heat.

Locked up emotions, finally free.

**(Kuroko)**

Morning arrived, together with the physical pain; Kuroko was the first one to leave sleep, doing his best to sit up. Most likely because of the fact that all of him was hurting. Damn it, his body was aching - though he couldn't exactly blame anyone but himself for agreeing to it. A bit of the blame could be pushed upon Kagami as well.

He massaged his closed eyelids with the tip of his thumb and index finger, a quiet growl accompanying the movement. He reached out his right hand, finding the cigarette pack next to his bed; he looked down at it, and then threw it against the wall.

_What the hell had he done._

What had happened to his stay-away-from-Kagami plan? To allow himself to do something like that, he couldn't keep playing charades anymore; he had shattered into pieces, but that bastard had started picking them up again. Carelessly tossing them back to him, even though Kuroko had told him that he didn't need to be 'fixed'.

As he looked to his left, he found the other sleeping peacefully by his side. It may have been pointless to some, but to Kuroko it meant the world; he'd kept his promise, now he only had to make sure not to break it for however much time remained of their roller coaster lives.

He moved his hand to the other's hair; memories swept across him when he, again, began to tousle and play with the other's red-and-black hair. He leaned down, his lips barely a centimeter from the other's cheek; then, a light touch.

A 'good morning' kiss, or perhaps a 'don't apologize anymore' one. He wasn't sure, but he knew he'd have it all figured out sooner or later. He wasn't in a rush; he could take his time, let the fragments of his very self mend together before giving the other a real answer.

What he didn't notice when he left the room was the other's gaze on his back; the hint of a smile crossing someone else's lips.

His hair was as messy as always; it seemed like Kuroko's hair indeed had a life of it's own, and the night's activities had only made it worse.

He had picked up the cigarette package on his way out of the room, and now opened it - smoking was only one of the many bad habits that he'd developed during Kagami's absence.

He looked around for his lighter, but failed to find it; only to find out the reason why when he turned around to find Kagami holding it up a few metres away.

"Give me that." He said, holding out his hand while waiting for the other to return the lighter.

"Stop smoking. You'll fucking ruin your body, and if that happens you can say goodbye to basketball for real." The taller male replied, looking at the item in his hand. The idiot wasn't fully dressed, not that Kuroko was either; both of them were still in their boxers and a t-shirt each. The black haired boy's eyes were lined with sleepiness and every step he took caused his face to - for a brief moment - reveal how much his body was hurting.

_Damn it, didn't the guy know how to hold back?_" I don't care, I quit. I'm not going to play again." He muttered, lowering his hand because the other didn't seem like he had any plans of giving him his lighter back. He bit the tip of his thumb before he ran his tongue across his teeth; _come on, it's my body, let me have a cigarette you jerk._

Kagami didn't reply at first, he just walked forward and placed his hand on Kuroko's head before gently ruffling his ink black locks.

"Like hell you're not going to play again. Stop saying shit like that or I'll punch you back. Or steal a kiss, it's your choice."

The shorter boy didn't bother to wave his hand away this time.

"Shut it, are you trying to threaten me? Idiots should just keep quiet, _Bakagami_. Now, give me my lighter so I can-" He was interrupted by the other one suddenly pulling at his hair, forcing the boy to turn his face up and receive the punishment that was a kiss. After the taller one of the two had drawn back, he eyed the face that belonged to the boy in front of him; his facial features were decorated by an (as usual) rather expressionless look, but a hint of red was visible on his cheekbones.

"Stop calling me an idiot! Now, how about we- ouch, damn_ that really hurts_! The hell, don't just do that out of nowhere!"

Kuroko had jabbed the other, right between two of his ribs; he was very aware of the fact that it hurt.

"Get out."

The expression on Kagami's face turned from one showing his pain to pure surprise; "Huh?"

Kuroko took a step forward, passing him before continuing towards his bedroom. He stopped when he was about to walk out of the room, but didn't turn around.

"You heard what I said. Put some clothes, then go."

"But I just promised to stay by your side!"

"I know, I'm... _Happy_. I think I am at least. So don't go ruining it by jumping on me or something like that." Kuroko felt as if he was constantly changing his mind about things, and Kagami's confusion pretty much confirmed it.

"Like I'd do something like that!" The red head protested.

A faint chuckle could be heard, quickly fading away - Kagami really was amusing in some ways.

"Oh really? Don't make me repeat it again, get the hell out."

Approximately fifteen minutes later the door closed behind Kuroko's... What was he?

A jerk? The person who abandoned him? A friend? A former teammate? A... Lover?

With his back against the wall, the black haired male fell down on the floor; concentrating on his breathing, trying to find a good method to distract himself.

He knew exactly what Kagami meant when he said that he 'messed him up'.

When he went to the door (as if he was making sure the other had really left), he was greeted by a note attached to it.

_'It's not too late.'_

He couldn't help but shake his head at the other's stupid ideas; what the fuck, being so dramatic all of a sudden. What had gotten into him? Still, this simple message only for him - he couldn't ignore it. This time, they'd put it all in the right place; collect those last pieces of him, so he could feel happy again. Maybe he'd offer a few more smiles to Kagami, just because he was able to.

It wasn't exactly a hard task to find Kagami; for once, the boy hadn't covered up his rather small body with dark clothes. For some unknown reason, his wardrobe had turned into the same shade as his hair - he hadn't exactly thought about it until a certain colorful person came marching back into his life, turning things upside down. But, you know; _upside down is perfectly fine sometimes._

A white t-shirt, shorts - his old training shoes.

"I told you, I'm not playing basketball anymore." He said, and the other turned around; a basketball placed in his hands.

Kuroko's digits opened the little box with cigarettes, but when he was about to take out one of them from the little package it was snatched away by the taller one of the two. "Hey!" he called out, first the lighter and now the cigarette pack. The other really didn't seem to like the fact that he'd started smoking. Of course, it wasn't like he enjoyed it either; but it had turned out to be quite the good way to distract himself from... Other things.

"Stop smoking, start playing basketball again; you love it, right?" When it came from Kagami, everything seemed so easy and obvious. A sigh slipped out between Kuroko's lips as he ran his fingers through his hair; what could he do to make the other just _stay out of his businesses._

"You can't make me stop, it's my body and my choice. Also, I thought I had made it clear that I won't be playing again. I _loved_ to play, past tense." He shifted his eyes from the other's face to the basketball, then back up again.

"Both you and I know those are just lies. I _know_ you want to play. Also, it's gross to kiss someone who tastes like smoke, I swear. I won't ever kiss you again if you don't throw away those cigarettes."

It was only there for a split second - the ghost of a smile on the shadow's lips.

"So you had plans on doing some more kissing?" He asked, avoiding the other's words as much as possible.

"Hell yeah, after all—" Kagami's face lit up thanks to a grin; one of those huge smiles that Kuroko had missed oh-so-much. It was as if the taller one had really punched him, right in the heart where his memories rested. The dark haired boy wasn't prepared at all for what came next - the other stepped forward, pushing the basketball towards his chest; Kuroko caught it in his arms. "—I love you."

"Ugh..." The boy sank down on the ground; just like he'd done back in the apartment, still holding on to the basketball. "You make it sound so... I can't... How can you admit something like that so easily?" He stared down at the ground, pressing the tips of his fingers against the surface of the ball.

"Just say you like me too, that's all I need. You don't have to forgive me or anything like that - just tell me that my effort to make you mine again paid off." The male in front of him held out a hand. Kuroko didn't take it at first, because he knew it would mean so much more than just a simple connection of their hands. He reached out, grabbing the other's hand before rising to his feet.

"I like you."

The grin didn't vanish from Kagami's face, and the smile still lingered on Kuroko's. The dark haired boy had definitely not planned on saying something like that; nevertheless he had to admit it, he'd been pulled in once more, into that aura that his friend had. It was certainly hard to describe, but it made him feel safe - and maybe that was exactly what he needed.

Kagami handed him the cigarette pack, and Kuroko looked down at it; now, he didn't have any need to get distracted.

"Let's play one on one, Kagami-kun."

"Drop the -kun, can you do that for me? And the smoking habit too, drop it."

"I do what I want," Kuroko mumbled, then moved his arm backwards - sending the little package flying across the court. He had hoped that it would land in the trash can placed on the other side, nevertheless his aiming skills were as bad as ever and and suddenly Kagami started laughing.

"Laugh more and you'll be the one flying." Kuroko took a step back, letting the ball leave his left hand only to be caught by his right one; then, for the first time in three years, he passed the basketball to Kagami. The other caught it easily, after all he hadn't been doing nothing in America.

"Seems like you've made your choice," he said, the sound of the ball bouncing against the ground a steady rhythm in the background of their conversation.

"I suppose I have."

_You know, Kuroko. Maybe you're not that different after all; if I look past your hair and bad habits, you're still the same guy._

_I love you, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to realize._

_I'm sorry for pissing you off like that, but it seems we got through that just fine._

_Your punches are harder now, but I won't tell you that because you'll just hit me again._

"Bakagami! Don't just stop like that, didn't you drag me out here to play?"

"Shut up, you wanted to play yourself. What kind of person comes in sport clothing without any intention of actually playing?"

The comment brought a pink hue to the raven haired boy's cheek bones; it was a nice sight, some color against pale skin (which, for the record, he knew was very_ very_ smooth).

Kuroko lost that match - just like 'back in the days'. But in some aspects, they were both winners; they had regained the bond between them.

The puzzle that was Kuroko's heart was completed; all it took was an old teammate, stubborn enough to find all the lost pieces.

"Play with me again tomorrow." Kuroko didn't meet Kagami's gaze as he said those words.

"Don't worry, you'll be better than ever soon enough. I promised, didn't I?" The red haired boy leaned back a little; his eyes fixated at the sky.

He placed an arm around the smaller one's shoulders; and surprisingly enough he didn't say anything to protest against the sudden closeness.

It was nice, being like that again.

_I guess idiots will be idiots forever._

Kuroko looked at his hand, bits of his time in Seirin coming back at the thought of playing.

"I like you, Kagami." He had a feeling he'd repeat those words often in the future; and perhaps, I love yous too, someday.

He couldn't help but smile.

_In the end you still came back for me._

**Author's note;** **The reason I named it "Drop it" may not be obvious ahahaha. As you read, they said it in the actual fan fic two times but it also means that Kuroko in the end 'dropped' his whole attitude towards Kagami and let him be a part of his life once again. It also points a little towards the fact that Kuroko dropped basketball, but then picked it up again.**

**I suck at names I'm sorry.**

**If you've read up until this point please do take the time to leave a review. I'm sorry if the fic feels kind of rushed orz**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Update; there were a few problems with uploading this idk, but I think I've fixed it all now.**


End file.
